certificate inplantsmanship

This Certificate from the Garden Design Academy is aimed at those dealing with plants on a professional level.

Plant knowledge is fundamental to horticulture and yet with changes to the horticultural education generally, many courses on offer today do not cover this adequately. All our horticulture courses focus on the importance of plant knowledge and identification - we have not joined the trend!

This course in particular, lays a foundation in plantsmanship, sharpening your knowledge and skills in the identification of plants and then progresses to build the range of plants you are able to identify.

You will learn important and valuable knowledge that not many in horticultural education will offer - this improves your opportunities and will help you advance in the industry.

By the end of this course you will be able to look at plants with greater focus, naturally seeing the characteristics that differentiate a plant from others, and placing it into a group (family or genus) which exhibits those characteristics. In doing so, you will find it easier to identify plants, and work out their classification, even if you do not know precisely what they are.

The course comes in 6 modules, two looking at botany and horticultural science to provide the necessary background for the later modules, which look at individual plant groups and varieties.

You will be working with Colin Elliott, award winning garden designer, landscaper, horticulturist and ex-Royal Gardener, who is a passionate plantsman himself.

Course content:

Core Modules

These modules provide foundation knowledge for the Certificate in Plantsmanship.

Botany I (Plant Physiology and Taxonomy)

Horticulture II (Plant Knowledge)

Elective Modules

In addition to the core modules, students study any 4 of the following modules.

Acacias

African Violets

Azaleas & Rhododendrons

Cacti & Succulents

Carnivorous Plants

Eucalypts

Fuchsias

Growing Annuals

Growing Camellias

Growing Iris

Growing Herbs

Growing Perennials

Herb Culture

Commercial Vegetable Production

Deciduous Trees

Fruit Production - Temperate Climate

Lavender

Orchid Culture

Palms & Cycads

Roses

Tropical Plants

Bonsai

Conifers

Ferns

Proteas

Note that each module in the Certificate in Plantsmanship is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

What's involved in these Modules?

HORTICULTURE II

There are 10 lessons in this course:

The Groups of Plants ‑ setting a framework for the whole subject. Learn to identify plants from a wide range of taxonomic and cultural groups, using a range of different techniques.

Use of Plants ‑ plant selection, soils.

Native Plants -The growing of native shrubs and trees, including the selection, culture and use of different species.

Exotic Ornamental Plants -Techniques for the growing of exotic ornamental shrubs and trees, including the selection, culture and use of different species.

Indoor & Tropical Plants -Growing indoor plants, including selection, culture and use of different varieties

Bedding Plants -Growing, selection, culture and use of different varieties.

Vegetables -Techniques for the growing of edible crop plants, including selection, culture and use of vegetables, fruit, berries and nuts (Part A).

These are designed to build extra skills which assist plant identification and provide a broader knowledge of the characteristics and cultural requirements for a large number of different plants.

Graduates of this course will have specialised plant knowledge relating to at least four different groups of plants, and the ability to identify dozens of plant families and over 400 different plant species.

A range of options are offered, to provide students with the chance of persuing areas of specific relevance or interest to them. This way every student can build a slightly different set of skills, differentiating themselves from others in industry, and allowing them to develop a reputation as a "specialist" fulfilling a niche that is different to others.

Each lesson in this 6 module course culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the Academy, marked by the Academy's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments and if necessary, extra reading.